And finally… in the 5th and final part, you get to put your feet up. Once you’ve found something that works, leave it alone and don’t pick!
Let it do it’s thing, allowing you the time to spend on something worthwhile: your business.
9. Simplify it
At this point, I’m guessing you’re either fired up with inspiration and have done your homework, or confused and pulling your hair out? It doesn’t have to be the latter and “woohoo for you” if it’s the former. Either way, just put down your pen for a sec and pull up a chair.
It is very, VERY easy to over-complicate this, leading to a feeling of exasperation and a desire to throw the computer in the bin.
If one process takes up most of a sheet of paper, or you can’t find an automation that fits your needs, take that step back. Have you made it too complicated by amalgamating several processes into one? Or are you asking your automation to do too much?
You need also be aware that what may look like a simple solution can often end up revealing a lot more than you bargained for. It’s like removing tiles. Bear with me on this.
At the end of the November, we decided it would be a good idea to install a new kitchen. It seemed a simple enough project as the new kitchen was a very similar layout. We just had to take the nasty 1980s tiles off the walls and floor, and open the chimney up so we could install an extractor. So what happened?…
- There were 3 layers of tiles on the floor, all glued on with something akin to Weetabix (that stuff does NOT shift). Learned how to lay self-levelling latex compound though.
- The wall tiles were much easier to take off. Mainly because they came off WITH THE RENDER, leaving us with bare block. Urgent need for plasterer.
- We found a kitchen fitter able to help us get started on a Saturday. Trouble is, he was a little gung-ho. By the end of the day, I had no kitchen and everything was in piles around the house. Thank goodness Deliveroo chose that week to launch in our area!
- Lastly, the chimney. Aforementioned helper took down the plate and covered almost all of the bungalow in a fine layer of soot. I’m still finding it in my shoes IN my wardrobe.
So this is my long winded way of saying “be prepared to uncover more than you bargained for”. Step back and look at what needs doing: if there are tasks that have knock-on effects, these are the ones you need to address first. The rest will fall into place, I promise. And you know what, it doesn’t all need to be done at once.
If you’re lucky, like us, you could find your saviour. Admittedly ours was a local building company who mended the walls, sorted the chimney, fixed the holes in the ceiling and made it all look pretty.
10. And finally…
If you feel completely overwhelmed and need someone to help, maybe Awenek could be your Wearer of Shining Armour?
As both Jamie and I have a way of asking the questions that get to the crux of the problem, we may just have the solutions you’re looking for. Why not arrange a free 1 hour business MOT with us? Click below to arrange a convenient time for us to call you.
This button takes you to our ClickUp form. Times available are Monday to Friday, between 9am and 6pm.
In this series:
- Part 1: Let’s Get Productive
- Part 2: The Right Tools
- Part 3: Introducing Your New Plan
- Part 4: Make It Easy
- Part 5: And Finally…
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